On Tue, 22 Nov 2005, Mital Raut wrote:
> Ifs and buts.....hmmm....don't make any sense.
> What will happen if Poms face the mighty Germans in some knock-out round?
> The records are against England when it comes to finishing off on winning
> tunes.
> So yet one more disastrous exit for a star-studded outfit of Goran Eriksson.
> I believe Jurgen Klinsmann will come hard on Beckham's men.

I think your comments are getting tangled in ifs and buts more than mine.
I remember the last time we played Germany. They are not the force that
they were. If we are going to fear anyone it should be Argentina, Brazil,
Italy, France. The hosts cannot be discounted, of course not.

Look at our last performance vs Argentina. We have proved we can beat the
best. This wasn't a 'normal' friendly, both sides played the game to win
and like a knockout situation. If we tighten up defensively and have our
best players available I think we will do well.

I hope that we don't resort to the 'stick one in early and defend for 80
mins' like we did against Portugal in the Euros. At the end of the day, I
take comfort in the fact that Erikson's competitive record with England is
right up there with the best managers of all time.

Maccy